Every couple of years during the Olympics Ravelry holds a comparative competition of knitting, spinning and frogging (yes, frogging) called the Ravellenics. Now, it use to be called the Ravelympics but the Olympics didn’t like that and made them change it. Which I just find ridiculous but…that’s a whole other blog post so we won’t go into it now. Anyway…the Ravelympics is just a fun way for knitters, crocheters and spinners to have fun doing what they love while watching the Olympics. Crafters join events like Cowl Curling, Shawl Skating or WIP’s Dancing, set goals, start their projects during the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games and have to finish them by the end of the Closing Ceremonies. That’s it in a nutshell.
This was my first year participating in the Ravellenics. I had wanted to do it in years past but just never did. I joined a small but fun team (teams are optional) called Grandma’s Hands. Yup, we are all grandma’s and proud of it. Several of the ladies were master knitting ravelletes completing several projects and accepting multiple awards. I was amazed at how their projects were just flying off their needles.
I had decided to participate in the event Sock Hockey. All I had to do was knit one pair of socks from start to finish before the end of the closing ceremonies and I would be a Ravellenic medal winner. Easy peasy right? Well…I had never knit a pair of socks before. I had tried. But for many more reasons than you probably want to read about I never actually knit a sock. Things were going good though. I was on track to finish on time, making good progress. I had finished one sock and had cast on the second and then…ugh…life just got in the way. I got very busy with orders (I’m not complaining, thank you to everyone who placed an order.) and just wasn’t able to knit as much as I had anticipated.
So what was my results? I managed to finish one sock and a portion of the second sock. I collected my “Almost Across the Finish Line” award and a couple of laurels with my head held high though and I had fun. I met some new people, I challenged myself to make something that I’ve been wanting to make but never had and I really enjoyed the whole experience.
The pattern is My Cup of Tea Socks by Robin Lynn and the yarn is Twigs + Twine in Raspberry Cheesecake and Bloom. I still plan on finishing my socks. The team I joined also does the paralympics. There’s no awards for that but it still sounds like fun and I just might decided to join in. I may not have medaled in Sock Hockey this time around but I’ve already started my training and I’m gearing up for next time.
Ravellenics 2020 here I come.
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